Dr. Griffith Buck Roses: Griffith J. Buck was an American professor and a horticulturist. He taught horticulture at Iowa State University and he created over 80 named cultivars of the rose, all of which are capable of withstanding temperatures of -20 °F and need no pesticides or fungicides to thrive. Griffith Buck Roses were first bred around 1947 when he started combining strains of very cold hardy roses with modern hybrid teas and other roses. To ensure he bred winter-hardy plants, he tested them in harsh Iowa winters of 20-30 degrees below zero with absolutely no protection. The survivors would be the seedlings he chose to introduce. Griffith Buck Roses are very disease resistant roses and have been tested in Iowa’s hot humid summers and cold winters.
